Reducing Ice Adhesion on Nonsmooth Metallic Surfaces: Wettability and Topography Effects

Abstract

The effects of ice formation and accretion on external surfaces range from being mildly annoying to potentially life-threatening. Ice-shedding materials, which lower the adhesion strength of ice to its surface, have recently received renewed research attention as a means to circumvent the problem of icing. In this work, we investigate how surface wettability and surface topography influence the ice adhesion strength on three different surfaces: (i) superhydrophobic laser-inscribed square pillars on copper, (ii) stainless steel 316 Dutch-weave meshes, and (iii) multiwalled carbon nanotube-covered steel meshes. The finest stainless steel mesh displayed the best performance with a 93% decrease in ice adhesion relative to polished stainless steel, while the superhydrophobic square pillars exhibited an increase in ice adhesion by up to 67% relative to polished copper. Comparisons of dynamic contact angles revealed little correlation between surface wettability and ice adhesion. On the other hand, by considering the ice formation process and the fracture mechanics at the ice-substrate interface, we found that two competing mechanisms governing ice adhesion strength arise on nonplanar surfaces: (i) mechanical interlocking of the ice within the surface features that enhances adhesion, and (ii) formation of microcracks that act as interfacial stress concentrators, which reduce adhesion. Our analysis provides insight toward new approaches for the design of ice-releasing materials through the use of surface topographies that promote interfacial crack propagation.

Bioinspired Surfaces with Superwettability for Anti‐Icing and Ice‐Phobic Application: Concept, Mechanism, and Design

“…However, it is now realized that SHS is not always effective in reducing the ice adhesion, therefore surface wettability alone cannot predict the ice adhesion due to the complicated adhesion mechanism existing in liquid–solid and ice–solid systems . Kulinich et al found that when the rough morphology surface was gradually damaged during icing and deicing cycles (as shown in Figure A), ice‐phobic properties of the materials are weakened.…”

“…[169] However, it is now realized that SHS is not always effective in reducing the ice adhesion, [170][171][172][173][174] therefore surface wettability alone cannot predict the ice adhesion due to the complicated adhesion mechanism existing in liquid-solid and icesolid systems. [175] Kulinich et al found that when the rough morphology surface was gradually damaged during icing and deicing cycles (as shown in Figure 7A), ice-phobic properties of the materials are weakened. Additionally, when droplets condensed in the rough structure, the ice nucleation would occupy the surface asperities, and lead to strong ice adhesion on such surfaces.…”

Enhancing the Mechanical Durability of Icephobic Surfaces by Introducing Autonomous Self-Healing Function

“…In the recent years, many researches have been focusing on developing environmental friendly passive icephobic surfaces that can repel the incoming cold water droplets, [3][4][5][6] delay ice nucleation, [7][8][9] and reduce ice adhesion strength. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] Since ice formation on the surface was proven to be inevitable under harsh environment, numbers of studies have been devoted to develop surfaces with low ice adhesion strength (<100 kPa). [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] To date, one of the most famous icephobic surfaces, the slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS), had achieved ultralow ice adhesion strengths of ∼15, 24 1.7, 26 and 0.4 kPa, 27 in different studies.…”

Ice-dependent liquid-phase convective cells during the melting of frozen sessile droplets containing water and multiwall carbon nanotubes

“…In these contexts, droplets usually evolve from a phase change on a cold substrate, and significant research is directed toward understanding the vapor condensation, deposition or liquid freezing processes in order to mitigate formation on the material surface. Most substrates tested exhibit varying degrees of hydrophobicity since anti-wetting or ice-shedding characteristics are desirable for a wide variety of applications, especially those wishing to prevent water or ice accumulation [4,5]. Interestingly, relatively less attention has been focused on the melting of a frozen droplet on such surfaces, which is especially relevant considering that active heating is a common anti-icing technique.…”